Julie Chen is leaving CBS' "The Talk."
In a videotaped message played at the end of Tuesday's show, of which she's been a panelist since it began eight years ago, she addressed audiences and her co-hosts in a taped farewell message.
"Right now, I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son," she tearfully said.
By taping her goodbye message, she avoided a potentially awkward conversation on live TV about the allegations of sexual misconduct against her husband, ousted CBS honcho Les Moonves, allegations he emphatically denies.
“It didn't seem possible for her to be a part of the daily conversation CBS with so many people thinking about what has happened with her husband and the allegations against her husband," Brian Stelter, the host of CNN’s "Reliable Sources" told Inside Edition. “It would have been so awkward. It would have been the elephant in the room."
Chen is also the host of CBS’ "Big Brother" but there's no word yet whether she'll stay on after the show's season finale on September 26.
Last week, she made a big statement by signing off with her full married name for the first time.
“She wanted to remind the world about her husband and her support of her husband," Stelter said. "Going forward, this may be an issue for ‘Big Brother’ — this may be an issue for CBS."
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